Hobbiton – Matamata – New Zealand

Our Middle-earth adventure to Hobbiton Movie Set began very early in the morning, we drove from our place (a nearby farm) to Matamata i-SITE Visitor Information Centre, where the tours depart.

We got on a branded bus to visit the movie set. The weather was perfectly sunny and bright, so everything was colorful and impressive. The way to the home farm was super green as we had to cross many farms.

The Hobbiton Movie Set was a significant location used for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and The Hobbit film series. It is situated on a family run farm about 10 kilometers southwest of Matamata, in Waikato, New Zealand.

When Peter Jackson began to look for suitable locations for The Lord of the Rings film series he first saw the Alexander Farm during an aerial search in 1998 and concluded that the area was “like a slice of ancient England”.

After departing Matamata I-Site the tour began on the bus where the driver was our first guide, talking about the casting, places around the movie set, a bit of the local and displaying some short videos about the process.

The tour continued on foot when we arrive at the set. A local and very knowledgeable tour guide walked with us around the set speaking about everything that you could see. She took us to the most iconic places and shoots in the movies like Sam’s House or Baggins End and many more.

At the end of the walking tour around Hobbiton, we visited The Green Dragon Inn, where we actually try some very special crafted beers. The place is all decorated to match the Hobbiton Movie set.

After that, we head to Shire’s Rest Cafe where you can find lots of Hobbiton souvenirs. As well as in Matamata i-SITE.